By Dylan Bettencourt
- In Cape Town, buying 25 brown loaves instead of white could save a household R54.17 in one month.
- Across areas tracked by PMBEJD, 25 brown loaves cost R38.21 less on average than 25 white loaves.
Families buying bread almost every day could save money by choosing brown instead of white.
The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group’s July Household Affordability Index tracks food prices paid by low-income households across South Africa.
Its monthly basket includes 25 loaves of bread.
In Cape Town, 25 white loaves cost R428.98 in July, compared with R374.81 for brown bread.
That is a saving of R54.17 a month, or about R2.17 a loaf. If the difference stayed similar for a year, a household could save about R650.
In Johannesburg, 25 white loaves cost R482.71 while brown bread cost R443.13.
That is R39.58 less a month, adding up to about R475 over a year if prices stayed similar.
Durban households could also save.
Twenty-five white loaves cost R424.79 there, compared with R394.60 for brown bread. That is a monthly difference of R30.19, or about R362 over a year.
Across all areas tracked by PMBEJD, 25 white loaves averaged R433.82 in July.
Brown bread averaged R395.61 – R38.21 less.
Pictured above: Bread at a spaza shop.
Image source: Pexels
